The Dodo Bird
by How about a riddle
Summary: A young girl who's role is the 'Dodo bird' is staying with Julius for awhile. Alice thinks that she's is as sweet as can be. However this bird is very overprotective of her friends, will she be able to share them with Alice? Slight TwinsxOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A new role

It was a new day in wonderland, the sun rose and shined through the blinds of the outsider's room. Alice groaned and rolled over, not wanting to face the day.

"Hey look brother! The lady is still sleeping."

"Should we wake her?"

The tweedles voices rang in her head for a moment before she opened her eyes. "Oh look, she's awake!" Alice shot up in her bed, gripping her sheets to her chest.

"What are you two doing here?"

"We came to see a friend!"

"Yeah! But Julius said we should wake you up first!"

A friend? Who could the twins known that would be staying at the tower? Julius certainly didn't seem like the one who befriended the twins. So unless it was Boris who had snuck in, the blonde had no idea. "Well, I'm up. Tell Julius I'll be out in a moment, I have to get dressed and make his coffee."

"You make Julius coffee~?"

"No fair!"

"Get out you two!" She shooed the blue and red twin out of her room with a sigh. Those two boys, she would never understand them. She quickly got her normal blue and white dress on, fixing her hair in the mirror before going down to the kichten to work on Julius' coffee. Hopefully she made a good one to earn more points than last time.

"Sorry Julius, I overslept again." She walked into the room with a tray holding three cups of coffee, she decided to go ahead and make the twins their own cups, but theirs were slightly smaller than Julius'.

"That's fine Alice - And that answer is wrong." Alice finally took in the room. For once Julius wasn't at his desk, though there was a half fixed clock laying on it. The twins were in their adult forms, which Alice had still not gotten used to. They had books laid out in front of them and were staring at the woman who sat across from them at the table. The woman who Julius was sitting next to was a little odd to Alice, but everyone was odd here.

The woman wore glasses, but Alice could see purple eyes hiding behind them. Her long snow white hair was pulled back out of her face, but one longer strand was held together by a purple ribbon. She wore a gray vest, white button up shirt with a purple tie, black slacks and purple dress shoes.

"What? But that's what it states right there!" The woman complained, pointing to the book.

"But this one states how it was revised." Dee handed the book over the table, and the woman quickly took it and skimmed through the words.

"Damn it, why didn't you give me this one then?"

"You're supposed to double check." Julius sighed heavily, "Now continue on, I need to get back to work."

"But we were gonna take Rain out-" Dum tried to talk but Julius cut him off.

"When she's done." Julius stated clearly before looking over at Alice. He raised an eyebrow and she quickly snapped out of her gaze and put the cup of coffee on Julius's desk. Alice walked over to the other table, putting the cups down on the small surface that didn't have books on it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't make a cup for you. I will if you want -"

"Nah, it's fine." The woman smiled up at Alice, "I'll just share with them."

"Thanks Alice." Dee took a gulp of his coffee.

"72 points."

"What?"

The woman laughed, "You grade her too uncle Julius?" 'Uncle?' Alice thought before her attention went back to the woman. "Don't mind him, his points don't really matter. I'm Rain Balkin, the Dodo bird."

"Dodo bird?" Alice tilted her head slightly, she hadn't heard of that role before.

"She's from the country of clovers, like Nightmare." Dum informed Alice, putting his coffee cup down next to Rain, who gladly took it and started to drink. "She's allowed over every now and then to study with Julius - but the jerk won't let her come play with us." There was the twin that Alice knew.

"Fine, you can go. Just let me do my work and you will be studying later Rain."

The three at the table cheered, "Thanks Uncle Julius!" She ran over, hugging the clock maker, who tried his best not to look disgusted. She then ran back to the table, grabbing a cane that was leaning against it. "Let's go boys!" The twins nodded, before the three took off out of the door. "It was nice to meet you miss alice!" Rain smiled towards her before completely disappearing down the hallway.

Alice smiled, "She seems nice." She turned back towards Julius, who groaned as he continued to work on a clock.

"She's annoying and a procrastinator, I blame nightmare." Silence came between the two, but Alice's curious eyes started to effect Julius. "If you must know, the dodo bird is the one who sets the rules for territories in stone. She's a lawyer of sorts, she has to learn every law from every territory. She also helps plan events."

"That's a big job.."

Julius sighed, "Yes, it is. and it doesn't help that she's so young."

"Young? She looked older than me."

"She's like the twins, able to go from a child to an adult. She wants to retain some childhood. She's actually around your age, I think." He tinkered with the clock for a moment more before setting it aside. "Nightmare and Gray have raised her well so far. But sometimes I think Nightmare goes to easy on her."

"I'm not surprised." Though she had to wonder about how nightmare and gray raised her as well. "Why did a kid get such a important job?"

Julius shrugged. "The dodo bird is a very rare role, there's one every few years. For some reason, it's the only role that isn't replaced right away. "

'That's strange...' Alice thought.

"Could I have more coffee?" Julius presented his empty cup to Alice as he grabbed another clock with his empty hand. "It's going to be a long day."

"Of course!"

Sunset came sooner than expected for Alice, but it still was a decent day. She went to Julius's office to tell him that she was probably going to head to bed soon. She walked into the room, to see Julius standing by one of the large windows. Alice couldn't read the expression on his face, but she knew something wasn't right. "Julius?"

"She's late..."

"Oh, you mean Rain?" Alice thought aloud, and took the twitch that came from Julius as a yes. "Well, I'll go get her for you."

"What?" He turned to face her. "Don't be ridiculous, it's almost dark." Alice couldn't argue with that, but her pleading gaze finally made the clock maker give in.

"Fine, but be extremely careful." Alice smiled and nodded before heading out of the tower. "I swear...those two are going to be the end of me."

The sun was almost completely down by the time Alice got to the mansion. 'I guess I could spend the night if I need too...' though she didn't feel comfortable doing that. The twins weren't at the gate, as usual, so she walked through and headed up to the mansion.

"Oh, Miss Alice." One of the servants walked up to her. "You're here awfully late, is there something I can do for you?"

Alice smiled at the male servant. "I'm here to bring Rain back to the clock tower. Do you know where she is?"

"Ah, she's with the twins. Probably in their room or the back yard, want me to fetch her for you?"

"No, I got it. Thanks though." She said her goodbyes to the servant as they took their separate ways down the main hallways. She barely remembered where the twin's room was, luckly there was another servant to help her find her way. She didn't need to knock on the door to know that Rain was in there, children's laughter was coming from the other side. She almost felt bad for having to take Rain back, but Julius did say she needed to study. She knocked on the door and barely two seconds later, the door flew open.

"Alice!" The twins tackled her to the ground, the three landing with out a loud thump. "Ow.."

"Good to see you too, but can you get off of me?" She chocked out, being crushed by the two small boys. They quickly got off of her.

"Sorry lady!" Dum said, "Wait...you're here to take Rain back aren't you?" Both of the twin's eyes saddened. Alice stood up and brushed off her dress and looked at the twins. Before she noticed their sad looks, she notices they were covered with cuts and brusies.

"What happened to you two?"

"Oh, we were just playing!" Alice heard another child's voice coming from the room. Alice looked behind the twins to see a young Rain standing there. She was just as tall as the twins, her white hair was shorter and a lock of it was still pulled back with the purple ribbon. She wore a gray jacket, a gold yellow looking shirt with gray shorts and gold and purple shoes. She also had a few cuts on her face. "And you can tell uncle Julius I want to stay for awhile longer!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Blood's voice cut into their conversation. The four looked to the right, to see the Hatter and Hare standing there. "Good evening Alice."

"Good evening.."

"Why can't Rain stay boss?" Dee asked.

"Yeah! The day was short so we didn't even get that long to play with her!"

"Yes, I'm aware. But last time you three 'played' together for a long period of time, you nearly killed some of my servants and cut up some of my hats." Blood's voice seemed very dark at the mention of the hats. "Not to mention you two were out cold for about two days afterward."

'What do these three do together?' Alice thought, looking at the smiling kids.

"That was a fun day wasn't it?" Rain smiled, but hid behind the twins at Blood's cold glare.

"Plus, I'm sure the clockmaker would not be happy with you staying over here. You may come back tomorrow but please leave for now. Dee, Dum, walk them to the gates please."

"Hey Blood, you think it's such a bad idea to let them stay the night?" Elliot chimed in. "It's pitch black out there."

The hatter seemed to think for a moment while Alice looked outside, she hadn't noticed the moon was already in the sky. "Very well," Alice snapped out of her thoughts when Blood spoke. "You may spend the night, but just this once." The kids cheered as Blood walked over to Alice. "You're welcome to stay as well."

"Thank you, I hadn't realized it had gotten so late." She laughed nervously, blood giving a smirk to her.

"I'll walk you to one of the guest rooms." Blood said before noticing dee and dum walking up behind him. "Stay in your room."

"Aw~ why can't we sleep with the lady?" Alice shook her head before noticing Rain clinging to a stuffed animal. Her eyes seemed sad as she stared at the twins.

"You guys have a guest!" Elliot picked up the twins and put them next to Rain. Alice noticed Rain instantly brightened up when they were with her. "So stay here!"

"And please put the weapons away for the night." Blood sighed. "I could hear you three from my office, on the other side of the mansion."

"Fine~" Dee said.

"Come on Rain!" the twins grabbed Rain's arms and pulled her back into their room, slamming the door behind them. Then Alice, Blood and Elliot started to walk down the hallway.

"Those two I swear." Elliot rubbed his head. Both the hare and hatter looked like they had a headache.

"I'm surprised to see those three are such good friends." Alice smiled as she walked next to the Hatter, who gave a small sigh.

"I suppose it's better for them to have more than just the cat." Alice knew he was talking about Boris. "But she's dangerous, there's a reason the dodo bird only exists every few years." Alice looked over at Blood with surprise, dangerous? How could a sweet girl like that - wait, this was wonderland. Anything could happen. "Anyways, here's your room." They stopped infront of a door and Elliot opened the door for her. "Our rooms are in the next hallway, call a servant if you need something." Elliot smiled as Alice walked in.

"Good night."

"Night Alice." The Hare said before closing the door behind her. The two then walked down the hallway together. "Hey Blood.." The Hatter looked over. "Why did you mention Rain like that?"

"Alice is a curious girl, she's bound to found out eventually."

"Yeah, but..."

"Either way it was bound to happen any time an outsider came and there was a dodo bird around." Elliot sighed, knowing Blood was right. "Go get those papers for me will you? I'll be in my office."

"Alright." With that the hare was off and the hatter walked into his office. He took off his hat and coat, hanging them up before sitting down at his desk with a smirk.

"Let's see if Alice can survive the wrath of the dodo bird.."


	2. Overwhelming Emotions

Chapter 2: Overwhelming emotions.

Alice was restless at Blood's words_, "But she's dangerous, there's a reason the dodo bird only exists every few years." _not to mention sleeping in the mansion itself got her nerves on end. This is why she liked to stay at the clock tower. It was nice and quiet, safe. The mafia mansion was to on edge for her.

Some how she managed to get to sleep.

"Well, I see you've met my daughter." Nightmare appeared hovering over Alice once again, a true smile on his lips for once, unlike the smirk he normally wore.

"Is she really your daughter?"

"No exactly...You can say I adopted her." He said, hovering just above the ground for a moment before setting his feet on the sand. "Her mother worked for me and Gray a while back. She died giving birth and I took Rain in when I realized she was the next dodo bird."

"Something that Blood said is bothering me.."

"About Rain being dangerous?" Alice nodded, wondering how he knew - then realized it was Nightmare she was talking to. "That's right, she is very dangerous." Alice's eyes widened, and Nightmare chuckled. "The dodo bird is going extient. The role is slowly fading away, soon it won't exist at all."

"Is that even possible?"

Nightmare shrugged. "It hasn't happened before...but with the politics as they are now, there isn't exactly a need for a lawyer now is there?" He sighed for a moment before continueing. "Because of this, dodo bird tend to be quiet emotional. That's what makes them dangerous, overwheleming emotions. They cling to the things that are closest to them and won't let them she gets riled up about something, she blacks out. Next thing she knows she's hurting someone she's closed to. Rain is also the type of girl that doesn't know when to stop, the combination will probably be the death of her." Alice shuddered at the thought.

"I never knew someone cold be so...unstable..." she wasn't sure if that was the right word, but it was the only one she could think of. Nightmare seemed to agree with her anyways.

"Yes, and no one really seems to like her - since she also has the power to send anyone to Wonderland's prision, Infact it was her who locked up the March Hare a few years back."

'It was her who locked up elliot?' Alice thought, "I thought it was Julius."

"He's the one that ordered him to be arrested and locked away, but it was Rain who actually put him there." He said, a small smirk on his features. "However the Hare's anger is pointed towards Julius, not Rain. She was just following her orders is all."

"That makes since...Poor Rain." Alice's eyes saddened, and Nightmare's smirk grew.

"I would be careful around her Alice, my daughter seems to not like you like the others of wonderland." This snapped Alice's attention back to the demon.

"What?"

"You saw the way she looked when the twins were paying more attention to you than her?" Rain's face went across Alice's mind. "She's jealous. She wants to like you, but her love for the twins and the want of them by her side overpowers that feeling. Like I said, her emotions are dangerous."

"She's in love with the twins?" At the mention of this, Nightmare coughed up blood again. "Hey!" Alice ran over to him as he fell to his knees. Nightmare used his purple cloth to wipe the blood away.

"Unforutaly, she is." Nightmare sighed, hanging his head. "Although she's to childish to realize what she is feeling. Ugh!" He gripped his hair. "Of all the people in wonderland! She had to fall for those two!" He almost sobbed, and Alice gave a small smile.

"You're just being an overprotective father." Nightmare looked up at her. "If she's so overemotional and clingy like you say, maybe the twins are the best thing for her. Those two seem to like being around her alot, maybe it will turn out well." She tried to reassure him, but he just gave a sigh.

"You'll understand her state of mind soon enough...but please watch after my daughter until then." With that being said, Alice started to feel herself being woken up.

"Hey, Alice. Alice~ Alice!" By the third time her name was called, the blonde's eyes were open. She looked over to see Rain in her adult form standing over her. "Well, it only took forever for you to wake up - probably talking to my father huh?"

"Yes, sorry." Alice chuckled nervously as she sat up on the bed before moving out of it. She straightened herself out while looking over at Rain. "Um, why are you in your adult form now?"

"Because if I stayed a child, I would've asked to stay longer, and then we both would've gotten yelled at even more by Julius." The two women laughed before leaving the room. Alice didn't see how she was dangerous at all...

"Leaving now Alice?" The blonde turned to meet Elliot's gaze.

"Yes, Julius is probably worried about Rain so -" She stopped herself there, remembering what Nightmare had told her about Rain and Elliot. She looked between them, the air slightly tense, but not overwhelming.

"See you later Elliot~ Maybe we can play together next time."

"Maybe."

Alice sighed in relief as the two didn't fight. They seemed to share a small goodbye before the two headed towards the gate. The twins were waiting, in their normal child forms. When they saw Alice walk up, they both hugged her once again. Alice could feel Rain stiffen next to her, and not wanting to push her luck, she pushed the twins off of her as soon as possible.

"You aren't going to stay?"

"Stay and play with us!"

"We need to get back, Julius will probably be worried and Rain needs to get back to studying." The twins quickly went to rain and hugged her aswell, not bothering to change forms this time.

"See ya later Rain!" Alice noticed how they didn't hug Rain as tight or as long as they huffed her.

"Come play again!" Dum said with a smile.

Rain smiled at them, kissing their foreheads before walking out of the gates with Alice. The walk back to the tower was quiet and very unsettling for Alice. Neither of them said a word, and Alice wasn't sure what to say. The only noise was the nature around them and the sound of Rain's cane hitting the ground next to her. She was so distracted with trying to find a way to start a conversation, she almost didn't realize that they were at the clock tower already. Julius was standing outside, arms crossed infront of his chest and with a stone cold look on his face.

"Morning Uncle Julius." Rain smiled as they walked up, spinning her cane around.

"you get double work today." Rain groaned, but didn't seem to argue. "Alice, I know you just got back, but do you mind getting some parts from town?"

"Sure! No problem at all, just let me grab some money from my room." Julius and Rain allowed Alice to pass them before they walked up the tower themselves. They made it to Julius's office, Rain sat where her books were still set at the table, and Julius sat across from her.

"Your thoughts?"

"On what?"

"Alice." Rain stiffened and Julius narrowed his eyes. "You hate her."

"Yup." She opened a book and turned a few pages.

"Because the twins like her?"

"Uh-huh." The sound of more pages turning went through the room. Julius sighed, standing up and walking over to the window to see Alice walking towards town.

"She isn't intentially doing it."

"She must be good if she's tricked you."

"Wha-"

"Come on Uncle Julius," Rain laughed, flipping opening another book on the table. "You've hardly let me stay here in the past, then an outsider walks in and you suddenly decide to open your home to her?"

"It's not like -"

"It's not like what Julius?" Suddenly Rain was infront of Julius, which caused him to step back in surprise. One because she had appeared so suddenly, two because for once, she hadn't called him 'uncle'. He backed into the window and she stared at him through her glasses. "Well?" Julius was silent, blue eyes staring at purple. Rain sighed, wrapping her arms around Julius's neck, hugging him tightly. He froze, unsure what to do. "I love you so much, dear uncle." Julius felt a preasure against his neck, the blade of Rain's sword was against it. He stucked in a breath, wishing he had his gun on him. "I love you, you love me right?"

"If this is what you do to people you love, I hate to be someone you hate."

Rain turned her head to see the Knight of Hearts standing in the doorway, wearing his long brown blood soaked coat. "Hey, I'm home." Rain slowly pulled away from Julius, who finally let out the breath he had been holding in. "I set you out a week ago."

"Yeah, well, I got lost." Ace laughed it off. He pulled out a large bag, blood soaked parts of it. Rain didn't seem to object, so Julius walked forward and took the bag.

"You always get lost." With that he went back to his desk. "Rain, you still have studying to do." The dodo bird groaned but went back to the table piled with books. "Ace, you can leave now, I'll send for you again later."

"Alright~" The knight cheered, taking the cloak off of himself. "Good to see you again Dodo." He gave a fake smile towards Rain, who glared back at him. Ace soon left, leaving the two alone once again. The sound of Julius tinkering with the clocks filled the room for a good hour, before sobs could be heard. The blue haired male sighed, standing up and walking over to Rain, who he noticed had chaanged back into her child form.

"Rain, don't cry, you know I'm useless when you do that."

"B-But! I-I did it again...! I-I don't l-like al-almost hurting y-you...!" She sobbed harder, squeezing her stuffed animal tightly to her chest. Julius sighed, and for once took Nightmare's advice.

_"If she starts crying, which she probably will, just pick her up and sing to her or something. Or just walking around with her in your arms sometimes work."_

'He makes it sound so easy, he does realize who I am right? Not to mention she's to big to be picked up like that...'

He knelled down infront of Rain's chair, "Come on." He held out his arms, which Rain jumped into almost automaticly. He put one arm under her legs, and another around her shoulders before standing up with little difficulty.

"Aw~ how cute." Ace's voice came back through the door. Julius turned and glared at him.

"Didn't you leave?"

"You know, you're tower is so big and -" A shot rang out and Ace blinked, looking next to him to see a bullet hole in the doorframe. Ace looked back at Julius, his arms were full, so it was Rain who shot him. He looked at the girl, her eyes were full of tears and she was pointing the small gun at him.

"Leave now . I want to talk to uncle Julius alone." She sniffed, the gun turning back into her stuffed animal. She hugged it tightly against her chest before leaning her head on Julius' shoulder. Julius couldn't help but give a chuckle and pat the young girl's head.

"Good girl, next time don't miss."

"Hey! That's mean, but whatever, I need to get back to the castle anyhow." Ace left again, hopefully for good that time. Julius sighed, now for his other problem. he peered down at Rain, who was still sheeding tears into his coat.

"I-I'm sorry J-Julius..."

"It's fine Rain, I understand." The girl couldn't help it, she couldn't control her emotions. . "Just go to sleep, you can finish studying later." With that Julius leaned against the wall of his office until the girl fell asleep. He gave a small smile before heading out of his office and down the hall with the girl in his arms.

"Hey! Sorry it took me so long, I ran into Boris and Ace on the way here." He heard alice behind him.

"Not at the same time I hope."

"No, Boris was in town." She said, before noticing Rain's white hair. "Did she fall asleep?"

"Yes, the girl doesn't have much enderance when it comes to studying. Once again I blame Nightmare." He gave a huff, stopping infront of Rain's room. "Can you open the door for me?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." She said, snapping out of the thoughts that Julius and Rain looked very cute. she walked over, putting the bag she was carrying in one arm, then opening the door to Rain's room. Julius walked inside, Alice close behind him.

Rain's room reminded Alice of Blood's office and the twins room. On one side, the walls were covered with weapons that Alice wouldn't even begin to describe. On the other walls were rows and stacks of books, they appeared to be out of order, and there was stacks besides the bookselves of books that needed to go back onto them. Looking closer at the books, she noticed they all had to do with law.

"Nightmare can deal with her now," Julius said as he put Rain under the purple sheets of her bed. "Atleast until she wakes up."

Alice smiled at the clockmaker. "You're a good uncle Julius." She could've sworn he either blushed or smiled at the comment, maybe even both.

"Let's let her sleep, I need to get back to work." Julius and her then left the room. Rain slept soundly with a smile on her lips.


	3. Boom Boom Bang

Chapter 3: Boom Boom Bang

The two days Rain did nothing but study. She stayed in her adult form all day, looking through book after book trying to catch up with all the laws the dodo bird must've missed in the years the role was gone. Julius seemed happy that the girl was actually studying, and kept busy with his clocks all day. Alice helped both when she could, whether it was Julius coffee or quizzing Rain on her books.

It was close to sunset on the second day when the door to Julius's office opened, revealing Boris and the Tweedles. Julius groaned and Rain's eyes lit up. She instantly put her book down and ran to the twins, turning into her child form somewhere along the way, and hugged them.

"Hey Alice! We came to see if you wanted to run by the Amusement park."

"Boss gave us a free day." Dee added.

"So Boris gave us free passes." Dum said, pulling out a free pass from the amusement park and handed it to Rain. "You get one to."

"Really?" Rain took it, hugging it to her chest. "Awesome!" She then froze, looking back at Julius with a pleading look. "Can I go...?"

"You've studied enough for a break I suppose." The girl cheered, "But please come back before night."

"Don't worry, we'll get them both back." Boris said, not giving Alice a choice in the matter. He pulled her out of the chair she was sitting in, and she gave her own pleading look to Julius.

"Have fun." Alice groaned and the group was off.

The Amusement park was lively for it being so late, Alice later learned Gowland had set up fireworks and they were set to go off when the sun set. They still had awhile left, so Boris dragged everyone onto almost every ride in the whole park. Alice was starting to get dizzy from all the running around, twists and turns.

No matter how much she complained to them, she was actually having fun. However she couldn't help but glance over at Rain every time the twins seemed to pay more attention to her than they did the dodo bird. If looks could kill, Alice would've been dead a long time ago.

Alice also realized that Rain and Boris had abit of a rivalry going on. She was a bird, he was a cat. So they often had chases, but they weren't nearly as serious at the chases Pierce and Boris would have. They were purely for fun, and Alice couldn't help but laugh alittle at their child-like games. Rain seemed to slip out of the cat's grip every time.

It was close to night, and everyone in the park seemed to find a place to see the fireworks go off. Boris had lead them to a small grassy area in the park, where some other families were sitting aswell, and they all sat down. Well, they tried to. The twins and Boris got into a fight of who was going to be sitting on either side of Alice.

"Dee..Dum..." Rain called softly, pulling on Dee's uniform. The twins both looked back at her, "D-Don't you want to sit next to me...?"

"Yeah." Dum started.

"But we also want to sit next to Alice!"

"Stop being jerks and sit next to the bird!" Boris said, pulling Alice closer towards him. The twins whined and pulled Alice closer to them.

"Will you guys knock it off?" alice finally snapped, pushing the boys away.

"But Alice..."

"No buts!" She huffed. "You guys are making Rain feel negleted!" To prove her point, Alice went to point at the Dodo bird, only to see she wasn't there. "Rain?"

"Where'd she go?" Boris asked, standing up from the grass to look around. "I can't see her."

"We need to find her, Julius will kill me if something happens to her!"

So the four split up to search the ends of the park, although the twins didn't like going in different directions. It was getting darker by the minute and if they didn't find Rain soon, they were all going to miss the start of the fireworks! Although Alice was more worried about Rain's wellbeing than the fireworks.

Alice stopped to catch her breath, looking around. This part of the park was completely empty. Probably because of the high roller coaster to her right, it blocked the view of the sky. She was about to start up running again when she hear clinking noises coming from not to far away from her, this followed by a child's laugh. Without thinking, the blond walked closer to the noise. She turned a corner to see the teacup ride they had been on earlier. Standing perfectly balanced on the edge of one of these teacups, was the dodo bird.

"Rain?"

"You know...they were fight over you on every single ride. " Rain hopped down from the edge and stood on the seat inside of the teacup. She gripped her stuffed animal close to her chest as she continued to talk. "They address you before me, they ask if you want something to eat or drink before me. When we were playing the games, they would give the prize to you, though it was obvious you didn't want it." Rain looked over at Alice, and she saw the dodo bird's eyes filled with tears. "Am I just not good enough?"

"No, that's not it Rain." Alice said, ignoring all the warnings she had gotten about Rain's emotions and stepped forward. She climbed onto the ride, standing outside the teacup where Rain was standing.

"Then what is it?"

Alice bit her lip, trying to figure out how to say what she thought. "It's because everyone is supposed to fall for the outsider right?" Alice's eyes snapped up to Rain's which were still filled with tears. "I know that's what it is, it's a rule. I know all of the rules." Rain hopped down once more, now actually sitting on the seat. "Even I like you Miss Alice, but not as much as everyone else, not as much as the twins..."

"Rain...I'm sorry." Alice walked over, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know how you feel for the twins, you love them right?" Rain twitched. "You just want to keep them close, you don't want to lose them. I understand -"

"No you don't." Rain shrugged off Alice's hand before standing up and walking out of the teacup. "You're a visiter, you don't understand."

"Well, I may not understand everything but -"

"You're lucky." Alice blinked. "I wish I didn't know everything, all the laws, rules. It's an overload." Rain whiped the tears from her eyes. "And on top of that, I don't get replaced for a few years when my clock stops. I won't see the twins for a very long time. So I'm trying to make the best with the time I have but-" Suddenly Alice was staring at a gun held by the little girl.

"Rain-"

"I love them so much, I love you too, Miss Alice." A grin appeared on the girl's face, and the color seemed to drain from Alice's. "However, I love the twins more than you. Dee and Dum are my best friends."

"Killing me would make them hate you." Alice suddenly stuttered out, Rain seemed to flinch. "I know you care for them, I do too. Not as much as you do though."

"That's right. But as long as you're around - they won't even look at me!" Tears were coming back into Rain's eyes as her hands started to shake. "There's no rule anywhere about killing an outsider either!" Both hands now grasped the gun as Rain aimed it at where Alice's heart was. "If you go away, things will go back to normal! I'll be able to hug Uncles Julius, be around the twins, and run away from Gray with Daddy without having to worry about them getting distracted by you!"

Alice couldn't form words by this point. She just stared helplessly at Rain, her legs not wanting to corporate. She didn't want to die, but she also didn't want Rain to feel this way... "Rain, just listen for a second!"

"I don't want to!" As her finger moved towards the tigger, Alice saw two figures at the other end of the ride, but she couldn't quite make them out.

"Rain!"

BOOM.

Alot happened within the next few seconds after the rather loud noise. Alice thought the gun had gone off, and by the cut in her dress it seems it had. But she didn't feel any pain, so the damage to her dress seemed to be the only thing wrong with her. She quickly looked back infront of her, she was able to make out fireworks going on above them, and the twins holding Rain down on the floor.

"Rain -" Dee started,

"What the hell were you doing?" but Dum finished.

Rain didn't answer as she tried to reach for her gun but Dee kicked it out of her reach. Rain then hid her face, not wanting to face the twins.

"Why would you want to shot Alice?" They both asked but she still remained silent.

"Get off of her you two." Alice said loud enough to be heard over the fireworks. The twins did as they were told, but kept a close eye on the Dodo bird as she sat up aswell. Alice leaned down, grabbing the gun, which turned into a stuffed animal in her hand. She walked over, knelling in front of Rain. Rain held out a shaking hand to take the stuffed animal, and Alice gladly gave it to her. The girl hugged it tightly, her head still down so her expression was unreadable.

"What happened Rain?" Dum asked.

"Why would you want to shot the lady?" Dee followed.

"It's fine guys." Alice said with a smile. "She was just worried."

"Worried?" The twins asked, confused look on their faces.

"Yeah. She was worried that since I came along, you two would forget out her." Rain flinched, squeezing the stuffed animal tighter. The twins noticed her reaction and looked her.

"Is that true Rain?" Dum asked. Rain gave a small nod, and the twins looked at each other.

"Come on, we'll talk about this later. Let's go back so we don't miss all of the fireworks." Alice pulled Rain to her feet, who didn't bother fighting the taller blond. Alice held Rain's hand the entire way back to the gassy area, the twins close behind the girls with sad looks. They didn't get a chance to sit down before the finale started, so they just stood and looked up at the sky. "Rain, look up!"

Slowly the dodo bird looked up, her eyes sparkling as she saw the fireworks. Her face broke out into a smile and she gripped Alice's hand tightly. "It's so pretty!"

The finale only lasted a few moments, but it seemed to cheer Rain up to a point, which Alice was happy about. People started to file out of the park, and Boris finally managed to catch up with them. Alice filled the Cheshire in on what had happened, and he almost went to go give Rain a piece of his mind but Alice stopped her. "It's fine! Really."

"Fine? She almost shot you!"

"For a good reason." That shut the cat up. Alice sighed, walking over to the bench Rain and the twins had parked themselves. "Let's head back to the tower Rain. Would you guys mind escorting us? I don't think Julius would like it if we went through the forest alone."

"Alice..." Rain started, but Alice patted her head and cut her off.

"I know why you almost did shot me, it's fine." She said with a smile. "But I do believe you owe the twins an explination." When she said this, both of the twin turned and stared at Rain. She suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Come on Boris, let's leave these guys alone for a moment."

"Uh, sure. Some of the food stands are still open. Let's go grab something." Boris lead Alice away from the kids, an uncomfortable silence falling between them.

"Rain..." Dee started, and looked at his brother for some help. But it seemed neither of them had an idea what to say.

"I-I'm sorry...I-I blacked out again...!" Rain sobbed, hanging her head. "I-I was just so mad...y-you guys just kept fighting over her...and forgot about me..."

"Rain, we could never forget you!" both of the tweedles hugged the girl.

"We love Alice, but we love you more Rain!" Dee said, whipping the tears of out Rain's right eye, and Dum did the same with her left.

"Yeah! You play games with us, make us laugh, smile, and you don't get angry with us." Dum added.

Rain sniffed, not to sure what to say. "Y-You guys aren't mad at me..?"

"Well...maybe alittle." Rain's hopes dropped at Dum saying this, but Dee quickly added. "But not really! We still love you Rain!"

Rain brightened up at the twins words, her tears instantly drying up. She jumped up from the bench, spinning around to face them. "Well come on! Let's go see the lady!" The twins jumped up as well, Dum grabbing her left hand, Dee grabbing the right, before they all took off.

They met at the main entrance for the park, however they were in their adult forms. Boris questioned them about why, but none of the three answered. Alice said her goodbyes to Boris and the group of four left, the blond walking behind the three who were still holding hands. She smiled softly as the group continued to the watch tower in the pitch black. Luckily she was able to see the people infrnt of her, just barely.

"We're here!" The twins annouced, the area suddenly lit by the small lights surrounding the clock tower. Alice smiled and made her way to the door. "Well...I guess we better go..." Dee said, looking down at Rain as the twins released her hands. Rain seemed said, but she reached up and hugged both of them, and they returned the favor. "See you tomorrow?" Dum suggested with a smile.

"Of course!" Rain said, smacking both of them gently with her cane. "We'll play lots of games!" The tweedles nodded, before they leaned down, kissing both of Rain's cheeks. The Dodo Bird's face went red, and she tried to stutter out words.

"You're so cute Rain." Dee chuckled.

"Good night Rain, " Dum said.

"Love you." They said in unison before turning around and walking away. Rain was silent for a moment, frozen where she stood. Alice giggled before grabbing ahold of the woman's wrist and pulled her inside the tower. As they worked their way up, Rain changed back into her child form.

"Uncle Julius! We're home~!" Rain announced when Alice opened the door to Julius's office. The girl ran over to where the blue haired man was sitting at his desk, already talking about the fireworks. Julius gave a rare smile and patted the girl on the head.

"I'm glad you had fun, but I'm trying to work." Rain whined, but knew she wouldn't get Julius away from the clocks any time soon.

"Fine~ I'm going to bed. Night Uncle, Night Miss Alice!" She smiled, giving Alice a hug before leaving the room. Julius gave a sigh before looking over at Alice.

"Anything happen that i should know about?"

Alice smiled, "Nothing at all."

"Hey sweetheart." Nightmare smiled as he appeared in his daughter's dreams. The girl looked more like a teenager now, her proper age. He was able to at least give her that much in her dreams. Her white hair went passed her shoulders, the ribbon still in her hair. She wore a purple and gray long sleeve dress that was accented with small golden flowers along the side of the dress. She smiled, running over to Nightmare to give him a hug.

"Hey daddy."

"How are you doing? Julius isn't pushing you to hard is he? I'll have Gray kill him if he is." Nightmare joked, getting a laugh out of Rain.

"Yeah daddy~ it's torture." She joked back with a smile. "But it's fine, Miss Alice is helping me."

"I know what happened at the park Rain." The girl froze, before she looked away. "It's fine dear." Nightmare ran his hand through her hair. "I just want to know if you're okay."

Rain sniffed, eyes filling with tears again. "Y-Yeah...I-I'm fine..."

"Really? Then why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"I-I'm not!" She whipped her eyes, trying to get the tears away.

Nightmare sighed, pulling Rain into a hug. She sobbed silently into his shoulder and he gave a small smile. "You're such a spoiled little girl."

"Th-that's your fault." She mumbled into his shoulder and he gave a small laugh.

"Yes, maybe you're right."

AN: So...I regret nothing.

This is pretty much the end of this story, I didn't want to make it to long. If I get some positive feedback about rain, I'll write more with her. Until then some Boris and Pierce stories will be heading your way xD

Nice reviews are awesome~


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